Lunchables

Lunchables is a brand of food manufactured by Kraft Foods, Inc. and introduced to the U.S. market in 1988. They are marketed under the Oscar Mayer brand in the United States and Dairylea in the United Kingdom. Many Lunchables products are produced at Kraft Foods, Inc.'s Fullerton factory in Fullerton, California, and are then distributed across the nation. In late 2005 they were added to Sensible Solution's line of products and made healthier.^{[citation needed]}March 2012 Kraft reduced the thickness of the Lunchable meats and cheese by some 40% in efforts to boost profits.

Lunchables combinations

Lunchables offers 26 different varieties of meal combinations, which include crackers, pizzas, small hot dogs, small burgers, nachos, subs, and wraps. In a typical package, such as the crackers meal combination, it contains an equal number of crackers and small slices of meat and cheese. The brand also created two versions targeting adults, by increasing the amount of food offered in each package, but has since been discontinued. The first being called the “Deluxe,” it contained two types of meats and cheeses as well as sauce and a mint. The second version, called “Maxed Out” (originally Mega Packs), was available with 40% more food than what was packaged in a regular Lunchables.

Lunchables also carries an assortment of drinks and desserts. In certain meal combinations, they contain Capri Sun juice drinks, either in a traditional flavor or of the “Roarin’ Waters” variant. Other drinks that are included are bottled water with Tropical Punch flavored Kool-Aid mix and cola; however, the latter was later replaced with Capri Sun drinks due to health concerns. As for dessert, some packages contain Jell-O gelatin or pudding or a candy alternative, such as Butterfingers or Reese's cups.

Concern about health effects

A line of the trays called Maxed Out was eventually released that had as many as nine grams of saturated fat, or nearly an entire day’s recommended maximum for kids, with up to two-thirds of the maximum for sodium and 13 teaspoons of sugar. Regarding the shift toward more salt, sugar, and fat in meals for kids, Geoffrey Bible, former C.E.O. of Philip Morris (prior owner of Kraft Foods), remarked that he read an article that said: "If you take Lunchables apart, the most healthy item in it is the napkin."

Nutrition

In 1997, Lunchables came under fire for having high saturated fat and sodium content while being marketed as a healthy children's meal. For example, a single serving of Ham and Swiss Lunchables contained 1,780 milligrams of salt, which is 47 percent of the recommended daily allowance for an adult.

Due to the growing concern of childhood obesity, U.K. Lunchables opted to create healthier options for children by eliminating Capri Sun drinks and mini Dime Bars, and replacing the sugary drink and candy with orange juice and strawberry yogurt in 2004. The brand also began offering lower calorie candy alternatives, rather than including the standard Reese’s cup in the package. Although the U.K. strived to provide healthier choices, Capri Sun and candy are still available as options in the U.S. Lunchables.

As of 2007, eight varieties of Lunchables are considered Sensible Solution products; the brand has since excluded the exceptionally unhealthy items. By doing so, the brand has replaced Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Cola, Nestle Crunch bars, M&Ms, and Kool-Aid Jammers, with lower calorie and sugar options, such as Airheads, fruit cups, and Tropical Punch flavored Kool-Aid mix.[6]

External links

• Lunchables Website